How popular is Late Nite @ Burge at the University of Iowa? Witness the eager students who are lined up when it opens and the steady stream of others who visit as late as midnight, drawn by an affordable and varied slate of pizzas, burgers, sandwiches, sweets and beverages.

“The kids really appreciate having an option like this later at night,” says Bob James, assistant manager of Burge Market Place, one of the two main dining facilities serving the 30,000 students of the Iowa City campus. “If they don’t feel like a full meal at the Market Place, sometimes they just come in for a sandwich and a dessert and they’re on their way.”

Operating from 4 p.m. to midnight on Sunday and 8 p.m. to midnight on Monday through Thursday, the Late Nite program is also a welcome business segment for the university dining department. “It takes a little more labor to run than I would like, but it is still a very profitable area for us,” says James.

Because Burge is just a short stroll from the dormitories and the after-hours menu offers many student favorites, most residents consider it a better deal “than walking two blocks to the convenience store for a limited food selection,” says James.

The menu, made up of quick, easy-to-serve items, is headlined by a 7-inch personal pizza, priced at $4.50, and a 16-inch party-sized pizza, priced at $12. Both are available topped with double cheese, pepperoni, veggie and sausage. The personal pie is the more popular, selling between 50 and 70 each week, James reports.

Other hits include BLTs , toasted cheese sandwiches and hot and cold subs, each priced at $4, burger baskets with fries, priced at $5.75, and chicken tenders, priced at $4.50. “It takes no more than four or five minutes to put together most of these orders, which makes it convenient,” says James.